Matt Bevin
A conservative businessman turned one-term governor, his contentious tenure in Kentucky was marked by sharp political clashes and a dramatic electoral defeat.
Born 1967 (age 59)·Governor of Kentucky from 2015 to 2019·Birthday: January 9·Generation X
Biography
Matt Bevin's path to the Kentucky governor's mansion was as unlikely as his single term was turbulent. A New England-born investment manager, he settled in Louisville and built a business career before a failed 2014 primary challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell established him as a Tea Party-aligned outsider. He narrowly won the governorship the following year, promising to run the state like a business. His tenure was defined by aggressive, often confrontational conservative policies, including battles with the state's teacher unions over pension reforms that sparked massive protests and statewide walkouts. His blunt style and comments that critics deemed dismissive created constant friction. In 2019, he sought re-election in a deeply red state but lost to Democrat Andy Beshear by a narrow margin, a rare defeat for a Republican in Kentucky that underscored the depth of political backlash he faced.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Matt was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Matt Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Matt's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He was elected as the 62nd Governor of Kentucky in 2015, defeating his Democratic opponent by just over 8,000 votes.
- He oversaw the implementation of Kentucky's first charter school law and work requirements for Medicaid recipients.
- He appointed a record number of judges to the Kentucky judiciary, shaping the state's courts.
Did You Know?
He and his wife have nine children, four of whom are adopted from Ethiopia.
Before politics, he was the CEO of Integrity Asset Management, an investment firm.
He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.
He is a devout Christian and has been open about his faith influencing his political views.
“I came to the Governor's office as a businessman, not a politician.”
